CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2023
| Author | Klosek, Rafal |
|---|---|
| Title | Taking responsibility for wrongs done by others |
| Summary | The aim of this thesis is to explain and vindicate of the social phenomenon which I call “taking responsibility for wrongs done by others” – a certain cluster of responses associated with responsibility that we (sometimes) implement in response to the wrongs done by our near and dear. Such responses differ noticeably from the responses of uninvolved witnesses. Even when those wrongs cannot be traced to our own faulty actions or omissions, we tend to experience guilt-like attitudes, offer apologies, seek forgiveness, and make amends. I argue that the responses of relatives can be understood as instances of the wider practice of taking responsibility; more specifically as instances of its non-paradigmatic form – taking responsibility for actions of others. First, I provide a functionalist account of taking responsibility for our own actions. I argue that the practice of taking responsibility for wrongdoing serves an important function of repairing moral relationships between the wrongdoer and the wronged party. Next, I argue that the practice of taking responsibility for wrongs done by their relatives also serves a reparative function, as evidenced in the paradigm case. More specifically, it serves the function of repairing moral relationships between the innocent relatives of the wrongdoer and the victims. |
| Supervisor | Mason, Cathy |
| Department | Philosophy MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2023/klosek_rafal.pdf |
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